Mammoth on Ice

Parker and I loaded up the sled and went to Mammoth for some hard water ice fishing. We arrived at sunrise and got on the water to find our friends Cameron and Cody Hunt already set up.  They were in 30 feet of water and had gotten anything so we moved in to 15 feet of water.

Parker dropped his line in the first hole and almost immediately got a strike and hook up only to lose it on the way up. but that made us happy to see fish being active in our water column. We cut a few more holes and got lines in.  Parker got the first hit on white so I put on white and blue, and pink on pink. We tipped with wax and meal worms, wax worms worked best. I tried some power grubs but got nothing on that.

I was nest to get a hit on the pink set up. landed a pretty tiger trout not very big but healthy. We fished the morning until 11:30 and to go to a family birthday party.  Cam and Cody and his wife Sky moved in next to us and Sky got a nice tiger in a few minutes and Cody almost lost his pole to a tiger but saved it and landed the tiger. 

Nothing huge and nothing fast. We had fish in and out of the screen all morning, wit a couple hits but no hook ups. We changed colors, presentation and spoons whatsoever we had in our boxes but could only coax those three out of the water. It was a beautiful morning on the lake. By the time we packed it in the lake was covered with camps, best to go on a week day if you can.

12-2-17 First Ice!?

I never know what to log these early winter trips to ice fish. Is it the first ice of the season or the finish of the 2017 ice fishing season.  Regardless we found Ice!! The season is so late this year one of the latest I've seen. We hit the lake that usually freezes over by Thanksgiving and it still had boats on it trolling. So we moved on to the next lake on the trail and it was also wide open and on we went. We pass a little side road that we know goes to a pond.  We stopped turned around and made the short trip down the dirt road to the pond and there it was, ICE! Our first question is, how solid is it? Parker ventures out slowly and then Jumps!! I'm looking for a rocks to throw and he's out there jumping on it. We determine since he didn't break through that we will be okay and take the auger out and cut holes. 6 inches of ice was found, nice thick and hard.

We cut four holes and set up our camp for the morning. The pond is only 8 - 10 feet deep, so we weren't thinking we were going to get much. Low and behold the first hit happened almost immediately after dropping our first line in the water. Parker lands the first fish of the day and season. Not huge but it had fins and gills a nice little planter bow.

I hooked up the second and Parker the third of the day and Jackson got in on the action with a fish caught and he was excited. The wind started to come up so we put the tent up and started to set stakes in the ice and the first one broke through and the ice sank a little! We decided not to sink the other screw but keep a foot on the skirt to keep it in place.

We fished in the tent for a couple hours and caught many fish they were hungry and we were happy. We finished with 50 or better fish caught. Some of them were of decent size but most were planters. We did manage a couple cutthroat.

A great day to start off or end the season with.....I think I will say start the season!!  Hope you can find some water to walk on soon.

Return to Deer Creek

Friday Parker and I took the boat out for hopefully its last run of the year. I put the boat away for the year too early, with the weather being so mild we took it to Deer Creek. The Creek hasn't been clarified clean yet by the DWR but hopefully, it will be Dec. However, I felt okay about putting my boat in for the last trip of the season.

The morning started out cold and windy. We made our way to the dead sea and put down the trolling motor. We got in the lane and headed to the sea of Galilee. We got nothing so we turned out to cross the lake and got one on the turn around on pop gear and worm. We fished back down to the sea of Galilee and dead sea and got another on the return trip. The wind stopped blowing and we got back in the lane where the first fish was caught.

With the water turning to glass, the sun came out and got really nice. The fishing turned on. We caught several fish in the small loop we were making off the island. Pop gear and the worm was the ticket, Parker had his downrigger running rapalas and flatfish but didn't get anything.

The day ended as it began. The wind came up and the sun went away around 11:30. Parker hooked up a nice big male rainbow only to have it snap the hook as I started to net it. After seeing that bruiser and the wind coming up strong we decided to call it a day. A good day with 20 fish boated in a short time. All good rainbows.

Happy Trolling at Jordanelle

Last Saturday Parker and I made the trek to Jordanelle for some relaxing trolling for the bows and browns. We arrived at the lake around 7:30 about the time the sun came up and were on the water. It was 32 degrees when we launched it didn't warm up till 10 or so.

Bass Fishing Sand Hollow Utah 10/11-12/17

Wednesday morning met up with Shifty at his placed hooked up the Fish Steeler to "The Great White" and we were on our way to Sand Hollow Reservoir in Southern Utah for a two day fishing trip for bass. Shifty puts up with my need for fly fishing so I try to reciprocate with a trip to bass fish. Sand Hollow is his favorite to fish so we travel there one to two times each season.